What is a Software?

 

The Computer is an electronic device that accepts data as input, processes it, stores it and gives out information as output. 

The Computer is referred to as a system because it is made up of integrated components (input, output, storage and CPU) which work together to execute programs.

The Computer is made made up of two basic components; The Hardware and The Software components. The Hardware components are those parts of the computer that the user can see, touch and carry about while The Software components are those components that user can't touch or feel.

Today in this post, we're going to discuss The Software Component of a computer system, it's types, functions and characteristics. 

What is a Software?

As discussed above, The Software is a set of instructions, data or programs used to operate computers and execute specific tasks. It is the logical part of the system and a generic term used to refer to applications, scripts and programs that run on a device.

Types of Software

The Software is categorized basically into two main types;

• The System Software
• The Application Software

The System Software

The system software is said to be the soul of the computer system, this is because it directly operates the computer hardware and provides the basic functionality to the users as well as helps other software to operate smoothly. The system software controls the internal functioning of the computer and also manages the hardware such as printers, monitor and external storage devices.

Features of the System Software

• System Software is written in a low-level language.
• System software is difficult to design and understand.
• System software is fast in speed(working speed).
• System software is less interactive for the users in comparison to application software.

Types of System Software

• Operating System: This is what serves as a link between the computer and the user it provides an interface to the user, which helps the user to interact with the computer system. It is the main program of a computer system. When the computer system ON it is the first software that loads into the computer’s memory. Basically, it manages all the resources such as memory, CPU, printer, hard disk, etc. It also provides various services to other computer software. Examples of operating systems are Linux, Apple macOS, Microsoft Windows, etc.

• Language Processor: The system software converts the human-readable language into a machine language and vice versa. So, the conversion is done by the language processor. It converts programs written in high-level programming languages like Java, C, C++, Python, etc. (known as source code), into sets of instructions that are easily readable by machines(known as object code or machine code).

• Device Driver: A device driver is a program that controls a device and helps that device to perform its functions. Every device like a printer, mouse, modem, etc. needs a driver to connect with the computer system eternally. So, when you connect a new device with your computer system, first you need to install the driver of that device so that your operating system knows what type of device it and how to control or manage it.

The Application Software

The Application software is designed to perform a specific task for end-users. It is a program that is designed only to fulfill end-users’ requirements. It includes word processors, spreadsheets, database management, inventory, payroll programs, etc.

Features of The Application Software

• It performs more specialized tasks like word processing, spreadsheets, email, etc.
• Mostly, the size of the software is big, so it requires more storage space.
• Application software is more interactive for the users, so it is easy to use and design.
• Application software is written in a high-level language.

Types of Application Software

• General Purpose Software: This type of application software is used for a variety of tasks and it is not limited to performing a specific task only. For example, MS-Word, MS-Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe CC etc.

• Customized Software: This type of application software is designed to perform specific tasks or functions or designed for specific organizations. For example, railway reservation system, airline reservation system, invoice management system, Banking Software etc.

• Utility Software: This type of application software is used to support the computer infrastructure. It is designed to analyze, configure, optimize and maintains the system, and take care of its requirements as well. For example, antivirus, disk fragmenter, memory tester, disk repair, disk cleaners, registry cleaners, disk space analyzer, etc.

Key Differences between System and Application Software

System Software is designed to manage the resources of the computer system, like memory and process management, etc. 

While 

Application Software is designed to fulfill the requirements of the user for performing specific tasks.

System Software is written in a low-level language.

While

Application Software is written in a high-level language.

System Software plays vital role for the effective functioning of a system.

While

Application Software is not so important for the functioning of the system, as it is task specific.

I believe at this point you're able to distinguish these two. Leave a comment in the box below and I'll do my best to attend to them all.